With all our advances in climate control technology over the last hundred years, there is still something to be said for the old way of doing things. Not that you should go without air conditioning and just open a window, of course. It’s more that the same concepts that informed ancient methods of climate control can still be quite useful today. Take evaporative cooling, for example. This method has been used in one form or another for centuries. Here in the 21st century, we have our own ways of taking advantage of this concept to cool a home.
An evaporative cooling system doesn’t use refrigerant to siphon heat out of a home, the way an air conditioner does. Instead, it passes dry air from outside the home through a damp pad in the system. As the air travels through the pad, the moisture evaporates and cools the air. This is the exact same mechanism that your body uses to cool itself (sweating). The system keeps the pad in the unit constantly moist using its own water supply, and circulates the cool air throughout the house using a typical air handler.
An evaporative cooling system has a lot of benefits that traditional air conditioners do not. For one, evaporative coolers humidify the air in the home. This can increase comfort levels and prevent illness. Of course, this is only a benefit in dry areas. Using an evaporative cooler (or swamp cooler, as they’re sometimes called) in areas that are normally very humid is not considered a good idea.
For another, an evaporative cooler constantly introduces fresh air into the home. Normally, an air conditioner will simply circulate the air already in the home, siphoning off heat from it in the process. This causes the air in the home to quickly go stale, which is a problem for both indoor air quality and comfort levels. With an evaporative cooler, you don’t have to worry about the air in the home going stale.
Evaporative coolers also clean the air they bring into the home, acting as a kind of filter that traps contaminants from the outdoors before they can make it into the ducts. If you are worried about using an evaporative cooler because you have allergies or are otherwise worried about the quality of the air outside, don’t be. The system will make sure that you get fresh air, without all the negative stuff that might come with it.
Finally, evaporative coolers are much more energy efficient than normal refrigerant-based air conditioners are. It takes quite a bit of energy to constantly evaporate and condense refrigerant to move heat, which is what a traditional air conditioner does. Evaporative coolers don’t need to do that, though. They just pass already-warm air over a wet pad. You can save a lot of money on annual cooling costs if you install an evaporative cooler.
Bell Plumbing and Heating installs and services evaporative coolers throughout Centennial, CO. If you’d like to have an evaporative cooler installed in your home, contact us today to schedule an appointment.
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